Love Spell
by Azamiko
Summary: A love spell cast on the guys for one night makes them act like they're in love with Mai.  But then, why isn't Naru acting any differently than usual?


I've had the basic idea for this story in my head for YEARS. It wasn't until Ghost Hunt came along that I had a fandom where it would work. Yay!! This was supposed to be shorter, I think...But oh well. I hope everyone enjoys.

FANfiction is...

I'll dedicate this to idiosyncraticbug, since she answered my challenge fic!

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"A _love spell?!_"

Mai Taniyama's voice was energetic most of the time, but this screech was something her friends hadn't heard before. It rang out especially loud in the small clearing because the woods surrounding them were so quiet. Of course, very few of her co-workers were in any position to understand exactly what was going on, so really, the shrillness of her voice made no difference.

Kazuya Shibuya, or Naru, as she liked to call her boss/crush at Shibuya Psychic Research, almost flinched at her loudness as he took out his cell phone. A few minutes of conversation with Madoka meant that his young assistant was just about ready to burst with fury. Noting this, and knowing that it wasn't in his nature to be soft even on her, Naru returned his attention to the girl before she could physically attack him.

"Yes, it seems that there is a…spell on this shrine. Any man who comes here on Tanabata is placed under a love spell, falling in love with the first girl he sees. You were the only girl in the vicinity, so you've become the object of the spell." Naru spoke coolly, as if all of this should have been obvious from the beginning.

Mai turned red and gestured toward the grown men behind her, all four of whom were arguing over who Mai loved. "Why are you acting like _this_ is _normal_?! Naru, we have to _do_ something!"

"Besides, Monk-san, you like _Ayako!_" John said triumphantly. Mai stared; it was beyond weird to see the quiet, sweet priest acting so out of character.

They all were, though. As soon as the spell had gone into effect--at dusk--the males in the group had started acting crazy. Takigawa began teasing Mai even more than usual--and more like he teased Ayako, now that she thought of it, Lin had _winked_ at her and _smirked_, Yasuhara had started trying to chat her up, and even John had earnestly asked her opinion on whether or not he should leave the priesthood. Only Naru was acting like his usual self.

"Gah! Why is this happening to me?!" Mai snarled, ruffling her hair and ignoring the chaos once more.

"Like I said, you're the only girl here. Ayako and Masako had other engagements." Naru's voice held a trace of something now, something Mai had heard more than she'd like to admit. Amusement at her expense.

Wait a minute…Mai squinted. If she looked closely at her handsome boss--which she had to admit she always did--it looked like…Yes! Naru was smiling, however faintly! Mai blushed at the rare sight, unable to stay angry, even knowing that his laughter was at her.

"So, I guess we'll tell the Monk in charge of this shrine that the spell is real. How do we get rid of it?" Tired of being disturbed by her friends and unwilling to say something that might put her crush in a bad mood, Mai brought her attention back to the case.

Naru looked around at the tiny, out-of-the-way shrine. The major temple was over a mile away, and the only reason they'd been called in was because the head Monk was worried about teenagers coming up here and doing things they normally wouldn't. But this was their third night here, and it was only today that the spell seemed to be in effect. Naru wasn't sure that they had to do anything. Mai agreed, somewhat surprised that her narcissistic boss was willing to brush it off that easily.

"If it only works on Tanabata, then he could probably just leave a guard to block the way or something. And as long as it only lasts a night, then it's easy enough to ignore, I guess."

Another shout from behind them; John again. It seemed that he was very vocal when pursuing romance.

"But it's still freaky and annoying!"

Naru grunted and looked up at the sky. It was overcast, threatening to rain, and almost full dark by now. He really didn't want to be out there any longer, even if it was a warm night. Why did it seem like the weirdest shrines were all situated in the middle of the woods?

"Let's go wait for dawn in the van. We'll leave them here to cool off." Naru smirked at the thought of the other members of SPR getting wet. It served them right for being unable to control themselves.

Mai's blush returned in full force. A night alone in the van with her handsome boss. Okay, so he was arrogant and liked to order her around; he could also be surprisingly caring, even though he tried to hide that side. "R-right. Let's go."

When they finally got back to the van--a ten minute walk, even with a path and flashlight--Naru pulled out a book and sat in the driver's seat, tilting it back as far as it would go. Mai took the passenger's seat after pulling out a blanket she'd brought when she discovered what they'd be doing on this case. She didn't have a book, and it was still to early to go to sleep, so she started talking, ignoring the irritated looks Naru kept shooting her. His answers to her comments were curt in the beginning, but as she continued--too tired to fight and too awake to sleep--he became a little friendlier, even telling her how and why he'd learned ventriloquism. Finally, she fell asleep, not knowing that Naru never went back to his book but instead stayed up for another hour just watching her sleep.

Morning dawned cool and gray, and found the majority of the SPR workers passed out on the ground after spending most of the night arguing over the only female member of their group. Mai and Naru, not quite as cranky as they normally would have been after a night spent in the van woke the others to make sure that the spell was really gone. With groans and embarrassed blushes, the men agreed that yes, they were no longer in love with Mai and could they never talk about this again please?

Mai assured them that except for the arguing, they hadn't done anything to be embarrassed about and wondered why the entire group blushed. For a moment, she wished she'd paid more attention to their conversation, because evidently, she'd missed something interesting.

Finally, they reassured the client that the spell was relatively innocent and left. It wasn't until they were almost back at the office--where Mai had to finish some filing before leaving for the day--that Takigawa asked something that had been bothering him.

"Hey, Mai-chan, why didn't the spell affect Naru?" His question made everyone in the car jump to attention curiously. Why _hadn't _Naru fallen under the spell? He and Lin weren't there to answer, since they always took the van back and forth.

Mai thought for a moment, furrowing her brow. "I don't know, Monk-san. He didn't say anything about it, and I honestly didn't think to ask. It's Naru."

The men pondered the truth of that statement. Their boss seemed to defy the odds on a fairly regular basis. It wouldn't really be a surprise that he could somehow deflect a love spell. He'd probably had practice with all of those fangirls.

"But, if the spell even affected Lin…" John's voice was hesitant, but he was sure that something wasn't right. Naru had powers, sure, but none of them would have been any help in guarding against a spell like that. If anyone, Lin should have been the immune one, with all the magic and spells he induced.

Mai laughed it off, and the rest of the ride was spent in amiable teasing about their actions from the previous night. Takigawa hooted and cheered when he finally figured out where and with whom Mai had spent the night, ignoring her protests that nothing had happened.

When they finally reached the office, Mai said goodbye to her friends and headed up the stairs, knowing that Naru and Lin would already be there. The silence that greeted her when she entered the office was unusual, though, and enough to make the girl wary.

"Lin-san? Naru?" Most of the time, when they got back from a case Lin and Naru would rehash it right away, writing pages and pages for her to file later. This time, however, both men were in their own offices.

Mai didn't know what to do. Lin didn't seem particularly upset, so the problem was most likely Naru's. But Naru never stayed angry for long, and he'd never gotten angry at Lin before. What was going on?

"Lin-san, would you like some tea? Since I'm already here, I think I'll make a pot of tea and finish some filing…" Mai stuck her head in the Chinese man's office, hoping he'd catch the hint and explain what was going on. Of course, since this was Lin and not Ayako or Takigawa, the likeliness of him catching the hint wasn't very high, but she could still try, darn it!

"I'm fine, Mai-san, but why don't you ask Naru?"

Lin glanced at her, the epitome of politeness. Well, except for the evil smirk he wore. Mai gulped. Lin wasn't someone who smirked much. He was either serious, smiling politely, or smiling nicely. It was Naru and Takigawa who smirked, usually when they were teasing her. But Lin hadn't said anything remotely teasing, unless…Mai's eyebrows shot up. Unless it wasn't her he was teasing. Mai grinned at him, figuring that her answer was coming up.

"Okay!" She turned to head towards Naru's office but stopped at the older man's voice.

"Naru _wasn't_ immune, Mai-san." Lin's voice held more than a trace of amusement. "Just as the rest of us acted like we would were we actually in love, so did he."

Mai took a moment to decipher that, turning back to stare, wide-eyed, at Lin when she did. "But, that means…"

"I think he'd like some tea, Mai-san." Lin's smirk stretched and turned into a smile once he was sure that the girl understood.

Naru glared at the door when he heard the soft knock. He knew who it was, and he knew what was coming. It was his own fault, he mused. If it had occurred to him, maybe he would have acted lovesick right along with the other men. Naru winced at the blatant lie he'd just told himself. No, even if it would have saved him embarrassment now, he couldn't have brought himself to act all…romantically, like they'd done. It simply wasn't in him.

"Come in, Mai." Naru closed the book he'd been attempting to read since returning to the office. It hadn't helped him to block out Lin's teasing questions, and it wouldn't help him with…whatever sort of conversation he was about to have with his part-timer.

Mai entered quietly, placing his tea on his desk before looking at the young man she'd been in love with for the past two years. _I can't let him get out of this. If he does, then there's really no hope left for me._ The girl decided to be direct.

"Naru, the spell affected you, didn't it?"

Wincing inwardly at her bluntness, Naru thought frantically. Of course Lin had figured out why Naru hadn't acted differently even though he'd been bespelled, and, of course, he'd immediately told Mai. For all that Lin _could_ keep a secret, he was awfully picky about which ones he _chose _to keep. Thinking that discretion would be the better part of valor, Naru said nothing and simply stared down at his desk.

"Naru, answer me. Because if you were under the spell, and you still acted the exact same…" Mai took a deep breath. "That probably means that you're in love with me, Naru."

This time, Naru's wince was evident, as was the paling of his naturally pale face. He continued staring at his desk, silently berating himself for not realizing the connotations during the time when the group had been under the spell's influence. Until Lin had brought it up that morning in the van, he hadn't even thought about the fact that the love spell hadn't made him feel any differently about the girl. When Lin had pointed out that there was _no way_ he could have avoided being hit with it--thus, taking away his only defense--Naru couldn't help but become defensive and angry.

"It must have missed me." His voice was calm, controlled, but he still refused to look up at the girl.

Mai matched his steady voice, her eyes locked on his still form. "There's no way it could have. You were standing right next to Lin-san when it hit, and if even he couldn't resist it, there's no reason to think that you could have."

"I would _know_ something like that."

"Not if you never thought about it, or if you pushed it from your mind every time it entered." Mai smiled grimly. "If anyone could ignore their feelings to that extent, it would be you, Naru. Kazuya. Oliver."

"This isn't funny, Mai!" The dark-haired boy finally looked up and his eyes caught hers. They were no longer cool, but hot with anger and confusion. The blue had darkened, as it did whenever he felt strongly about something. Mai was often surprised that the others considered him to be cold, when it was so obvious to her that he wasn't so much cold as _controlled._

_This must be hitting him hard. He's always known…**everything**, the jerk._ Mai remembered when she'd first realized that she was attracted to the young man in front of her. More than anything, she'd been frustrated at the lack of control she had over her body. Then, when she'd actually found herself _liking_ him, even with all his faults, she'd become even more irritated because that meant that she'd lost control of her emotions, as well.

Now, here was Naru going through the same thing, only it had to be worse for him, because a) he was used to being in control, b) someone else had to tell him, c) the circumstances had been more than a little strange, and d) he was an emotionally stunted jerk. Mai smiled at her mental list as she continued to stare mildly back into Naru's heated gaze.

"Naru, what exactly do you think is going to happen now?" For once, Mai felt like she had the upper hand. Naru's stare was still heated, but behind that she saw more than a little vulnerability.

"Do you think I'm going to jump you or something?" If her heart hadn't been about to break out of her chest from nervousness, she would have laughed at the stunned expression on his normally stoic face.

"_What?! No!_" The stunned look held a little fear now. Mai continued to stare into his eyes from across the desk, but she wondered what he would do if she were to get closer.

"Why are you so surprised? You must know that I've been in love with you for…a long time now." Mai's eyes widened a little as she noticed that the stunned look was back in full force. Had he really not known?

"I knew you liked me, yes, but to say 'love' so casually…" Naru frowned down at his desk, losing the staring contest. Hadn't those feelings gone away when he'd suggested that she liked Gene instead? Evidently not. And evidently, they were a bit stronger than he'd noticed.

Mai smiled, then laughed, causing Naru's gaze to swoop upward again. "Naru, trust me when I say that I know my own feelings."

"I'm not sure what I should do now." If she hadn't looked so pretty when she laughed, Naru wouldn't have made that admission. As it was, once the words were out of his mouth, he wished for nothing more than to call them back. Mai was looking at him, and whether he showed it or not, this entire thing was making him very uncomfortable.

"Are you…angry or upset that you're in love with me?" Mai asked, her voice small.

Naru stared at her in consternation. Why was she always so _blunt?_ Forcing himself, he considered her question. He was irritated at the way he'd found out. He was angry at Lin for teasing him, especially when he was so confused. He was irritated that he--who was supposed to be a genius--hadn't even noticed his own feelings. But was he actually angry about the feelings themselves? Did the act of being in love with her really bother him? Surprisingly, he found that the answer was a resounding 'no.'

It wasn't anything he'd planned or expected. He'd always thought that he simply wasn't the type to fall in love. He was a workaholic, grouchy and obsessive. Even more than he hadn't been able to imagine falling in love, it had never occurred to him that anyone would put up with him long enough to fall in love with him.

Naru eyed his assistant, taking in her rumpled, slept-in clothes--t-shirt, skirt, and jacket, as usual. She'd obviously not slept at home the night before, and he was mildly thankful that they had all brought toothbrushes in their overnight bags. It was a habit they shared, he'd noted, that both he and Mai brushed their teeth, even if they were in the middle of the forest and had to use bottled water to do so. Otherwise, what he was going to do next might not have been as pleasant as it should be.

Reaching a final decision, he stood up. Mai, startled, backed up a step with a suspicious look on her face. Naru smirked, casually passing by Mai and closing the door. With the image of Takigawa and Matsuzaki in his head, he locked it as well. Though he was still irritated about the circumstances, he finally felt in control again. His smirk widened as he turned to face his part-timer.

"Mai. Come here."

Now, it was Mai who was nervous and confused. Naru wasn't exactly known for his adaptability, so she'd expected him to avoid her for weeks, even if she got him to admit his feelings today. She wasn't stupid enough to not know why he'd closed and locked the door--she knew their friends as well as he did. This was moving…faster than she'd expected. Still…it was Naru.

Two steps brought her close enough to feel his breath on her cheek as he stared down at her. His gaze was still intense, but now the heat was different. Softly he brought his hands up to her arms, trailing them lightly up and down and causing goosebumps, even in the summer's heat. One hand finally landed on her own, entwining their fingers. The other was cupping the back of her neck, fingers rubbing gently.

"N-naru…"

Never someone to explain his actions, _especially _not to Mai, Naru leaned in and down, capturing her lips before she could say anything more. He kept it chaste, a simple meeting of lips, a symbol of the decision he'd never realized he'd made. After a moment, he pulled back to see if Mai understood. She didn't exactly have a good history or understanding him, but then, he figured that if it had taken him this long to understand himself, then she was entitled to some extra thinking time.

However, it seemed that it wasn't necessary for her to think, as she blindly followed him before he could fully pull away. Her lips caught his this time, in a kiss that was definitely not chaste. Naru, momentarily surprised at her forwardness, smiled into the kiss as he decided that maybe he wouldn't mind giving up control every once in a while. But only to Mai, always only Mai.

Her free hand tangled in his hair as he allowed her to deepen the kiss. Her lips parted, and her tongue probed gently, asking for entrance, which he granted immediately. Neither of them knew much about kissing, but that wasn't going to stop them.

Mai still tasted faintly of the cinnamon toothpaste she favored; he wondered what he tasted like, angling his head to a more comfortable position. They were clumsy in their exploration, tongues bumping, teeth scraping. They met in the middle, passing control back and forth without thought; sometimes the exchange was gentle, but sometimes it was a fight for dominance.

Unsure how it had happened, Mai found herself backed up against the bookcase, arms wrapped around her boss's neck. She wasn't sure where it would have gone, where it would have ended, but at that moment, a book fell off the shelf and hit Naru on the shoulder.

He let out a surprised noise and jerked back, finally breaking the kiss. Both psychics were breathing heavily, and their harsh panting was the only sound in the room. They stared at one another, no less intensely than before, and waited to see what would happen next.

Of course, since both of them were waiting, that meant that nothing happened. The stare continued until after their breathing had calmed and Mai needed to blink. That broke the 'spell,' but it didn't answer any of her questions.

"I've been in love with you for almost as long as I've known you. I should be jumping for joy right now, finally knowing that you love me back." Frowning, she sat in the visitor's chair, feeling strangely calm when she'd have expected to…do something embarrassing or weird.

She was happy, there was no denying that, but…something felt off. It was too easy. She said as much to Naru.

"Easy? You think that this was _easy_ for me?" Rolling his eyes, Naru returned to his own chair. "I can't believe that I'm saying this to _you_, of all people, but you're over-thinking things."

Mai glowered. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said, Mai. You're better at acting on instinct. Leave the thinking up to the professionals." Naru smirked as his assistant jumped up out of her chair, face red with fury.

"Why you--you!! Gah! You are the rudest, most irritating person I know!" As she usually did when frustrated and ranting, Mai ruffled her hair, looking a little crazy. "Why are you picking on me?!"

Naru's smirk widened. This was more like it. He wasn't one for romantic gestures and sappy confessions. And, while he thought she was pretty while wearing the soft or friendly look she usually had, his favorite expression was the look of utter exasperation that only he could cause. Leaning back in his chair and watching her out of half-closed eyes, Naru was content. Perhaps being in love wasn't so strange, after all.

"Are you even LISTENING to me?! Naru, I'm talking to you! Don't just ignore me, you jerk! Gah! Why did I ever fall in love with such a narcissistic _moron?_! Naru, _answer me_!"

"Mai. Tea. This cup is cold."

"ARG! You drive me crazy, you narcissist! Would it _kill_ you to say 'please?'"

"Possibly." Naru turned back to the book he'd been unable to concentrate on. He always felt a little better when Mai was ranting at him about his manners. "Oh, and I'll pick you up at nine tomorrow. There's an interesting exhibit at the folklore museum."

On a roll, Mai was about to blow up at him again when she realized just what he had said. That had sounded like…Mai gulped, calming immediately and picking up the now-cold tea.

"Are you…asking me out on a _date?_"

"Did that sound like a question?" Naru looked up from the book, waiting for her reaction. He knew how much she hated it when he ordered her around, no matter that he _was_ her boss.

"Naru…you…JERK! I'll get you your tea, but then I'm going home! I only stopped in for a bit anyway!" Mai, beet red with fury and embarrassment, grabbed for the doorknob, forgetting for a moment that it was locked. She struggled with the lock, fuming as she imagined her boss's smug stare fixed on her back.

"Don't forget, 9 o'clock."

Mai grunted as she finally got the door open. She didn't bother to look at the young man, knowing that he knew just how embarrassed she really was. He always seemed to delight in making her lose control. Drat him and his superiority complex!

"Well, don't expect me to make you lunch!" With that as her answer, she left, slamming the door behind her.

Naru returned his eyes to the book in front of him, silently relieved that she hadn't refused. A faint smile tugged on his lips as he imagined her reaction were he to show up with flowers, or something equally sappy and cliché. Perhaps he should, just to throw her off. And then he could spend the day teasing her and touching her--possibly holding her hand--and maybe even kissing her. As long as he still got to teas her, maybe being in love wasn't so bad, after all.


End file.
